BAGHDAD

Iraq's Electricity Ministry announced Saturday the resumption of Iranian gas supplies after a three-day halt caused by Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars facility.

Ministry spokesman Ahmed Mousa told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that “today (Saturday), Iranian gas pumping to Iraq resumed at a rate of 5 million cubic meters.”

He said the quantities are being restored gradually to support the national power system and boost the performance of electricity generation plants.

Mousa explained that power stations had been affected by the temporary suspension of Iranian gas flows following Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars gas field on Wednesday.

He added that the ministry had relied on alternatives during the disruption, including reallocating domestic gas supplies to some stations and coordinating with the Oil Ministry to provide gas and oil while transmission stations maintained electricity supply.

“After the resumption of Iranian gas flows, the national grid recorded stability in production at 14,000 megawatts,” he said.

On Wednesday, the ministry had announced a halt in Iranian gas supplies, which led to a significant drop in electricity generation, with around 3,100 megawatts going offline.

Iran holds 43 gas fields, with South Pars, the world’s largest natural gas field, being the most significant. It is shared with Qatar, where it is known as the North Field.

Iraq relies heavily on Iranian gas to operate its power plants, particularly in the south, making it vulnerable to fluctuations in supply. Iran provides around 50 million cubic meters of gas daily, covering roughly one-third of Iraq’s needs and enabling the production of about 6,000 megawatts of electricity.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul.